The Class of 2020 at Manitowoc Lincoln High School held a Senior Sunrise early today at Red Arrow Park, along the shoreline of Lake Michigan.
After 3-months of online learning due to COVID-19, classmates were encouraged to bring their own coffee, donuts (even cereal) and a lawn chair to connect with each other beginning at 4:30am.
One of about 50 seniors at the park, Thomas Maser, told SeehaferNe ws.com he just wanted to say goodbye to his classmates. “I haven’t seen them all in so long,” he said. “I’m going to be leaving here soon, in about a month to go to the Air Force for Basic Training, and I just figured this would probably be my best chance to talk to some of my old friends before I leave.”
As we spoke with Maser, he was putting brush to canvas, painting a picture of the beautiful sunrise over the lake and the lighthouse.
He reflected on the lack of person-to-person contact the last several months of the school year. He explained that he was able to keep in contact with a lot of his closer friends, but “The main thing I am missing is just going to class every day and seeing people I’m not really close with.”
Sarah Rezach also arrived at the park bright and early, and she said “I think it’s really awesome for our whole class to come together and do something like this….and experience something that we wouldn’t necessarily been able to experience during the school year.”
Rezach says it was “definitely a change of pace” for her adjusting to new schedules and online courses, “but overall it has given me a chance to reflect on my high school career in a positive way. In that respect is has kind of been a gift.”
A Graduation Committee is now discussing alternatives to an in-person commencement ceremony for Lincoln High School.
